Our agency was one of the first in Russia to develop first email and then CRM marketing. We are completely immersed in all the processes and love our work, which is why we created this project .
Thanks to it, you can learn more about the world history of direct communications, better understand their origins and development paths.
With the help of an interactive timeline, we show all the changes that have occurred with email and CRM marketing from 1971 to the present day. We cover high-profile events that have globally influenced the industry, and little-known, but no less significant ones that you most likely have not heard of yet.
In conclusion, we invite all readers to become part of our project and enter the history of the development of email and CRM marketing.
If you know a fact that is not on the timeline, or have made a significant contribution to the industry yourself, you can let us know through the application form.
After moderation, we will add new information to the project and indicate your authorship.
Did you know that…
The first monarch to send an email was Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. This happened in 1976, when there were no “Who” and “To” fields, which would be created in Arpanet only a year later.
Queen Elizabeth II sends the first royal email, 1976
In 1987, the word “spam” was used for the first time. The name of the intrusive messages that each of us received came from the brand of canned meat SPAM.
At that time, they were very annoyingly advertised, which is why they became a household name for unwanted communications.
In the early 90s, many things were introduced that now seem commonplace to us. For example, in 1992, it became possible to add not only text but also multimedia elements to letters.
In 1994, a prototype of modern IBM Simon smartphones was released, with the help of which it became possible to use e-mail without a computer.
Mobile email pioneer, 1994
Marketers are delighted by the horizons opening up before them. They get a fast, profitable and effective way to communicate with the audience, and the ability to use multimedia helps generate creative ideas.
At the same time, letters can be sent to anyone, which means it is easy to increase brand awareness.
However, some still think about the consequences. In 1999, vnpay database American entrepreneur Seth Godin decides to discuss the ethical side of email.
Newsletters with colleagues and tries to convince them of the need to obtain consent from customers to send letters.
The proposal was not accepted, and Seth Godin was expelled from the Direct Marketing Association. However, the story did not end there .
Seth Godin – Genius and Troublemaker Direct Marketing Association
At the beginning of the 21st century, marketers, looking for ways to improve email campaigns. Begin to actively use data management platforms. (DMP, or Data Management Platform) and feedback from recipients of letters.
Mail services appear one after another.
Just then, streaming adv: current trends driving advertiser decisions Gmail enters the market, without which many of us now cannot imagine our working days.
In 2010, it becomes clear: the competition is so high that it is no longer possible to send letters at random.
To stand out in users’ mailboxes, azb directory it is necessary to develop a strategy and think through communications several steps ahead.
Companies begin to feel the need for professional help, and over the next few years, specialized agencies and services for marketers appear on the market.
Our agency also opened just at that time, at the dawn of CRM and email marketing in Russia, in 2012.
The Inbox Marketing Team — creators of cool newsletters and projects
The rise of email and CRM marketing in Russia
Since 2014, the industry has been developing by leaps and bounds. Platforms and services are adding new functionality, the number of thematic conferences is growing,
agencies are receiving more and more CRM projects. Of course, the 2020 pandemic and 2022 foreign policy are making their adjustments.
A long way has already been traveled, and you can learn. About all the events that have taken place from our interactive timeline.
At the same time, the history of CRM marketing is just beginning. We and many other specialists across the country are writing it right now, doing what we love every day. Let’s write history together!
